John Rouse Merriott Chard
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Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard, VC (21 December 1847 – 1 November 1897) was a British soldier who won the Victoria Cross for his role in the defence of Rorke's Drift in 1879.
He was born at Boxhill, near Plymouth and had two brothers and four sisters. He joined the Royal Engineers in 1868 and was a lieutenant in command of the supply depot at Rorke's Drift when it was attacked by Zulus during the Anglo-Zulu War, having previously served in Bermuda and Malta. After the battle he was immediately promoted to captain and then brevet major. He commanded the Royal Engineers detachment at Singapore as a lieutenant colonel from 1892 until 1896 and was made a Colonel in 1897 when he was due to be posted to Perth, Scotland. However he became ill with cancer of the tongue and died at Hatch Beauchamp, near Taunton.
His role was played by Stanley Baker in the film Zulu. The film also starred Michael Caine as his second-in-command.
[edit] External links
- Find-A-Grave profile for John Rouse Merriott Chard
- Royal Engineers Museum Royal Engineers biographies (John Rouse Merriott Chard)
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